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Teaching coding in primary schoolsThu, 10 Aug 2017 16:18:08 +0000en-GBhourly1http://www.taccle3.eu/english/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/10/favicon.pngTaccle3 English sitehttp://www.taccle3.eu/english
3232Drawing digital objects in a virtual canvashttp://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/08/10/drawing-digital-objects-in-a-virtual-canvas/
http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/08/10/drawing-digital-objects-in-a-virtual-canvas/#respondThu, 10 Aug 2017 16:18:08 +0000http://www.taccle3.eu/english/?p=1325This lesson is translated by our partner in Salamanca, you can find resources in Spanish here | Ideas y recursos en Español 1.Overview: This lesson is provided to help the understanding of some basic concepts of programming visual elements and to help in developing spatial and geometric thinking. Brief description In this lesson related to understanding the concepts related to programming visual elements students will understand how to create a canvas, fill a background with a specific color and put some geometric figures inside it, through successive small exercises that introduce learners in the foundations of programming visualizations using different basic syntax and programming control functions. Age recommended 10-14 years old Level: Intermediate/Advanced 21st Century skills Mathematical Thinking Computational Thinking Spatial thinking 2.Aim of the lesson This lesson is intended to develop in young people skills related to mathematical thinking, computational thinking and spatial thinking (mostly). In it, the young people work with the basics of visual representation of geometric figures through programming them. This can help learners to develop spatial thinking, understanding how the objects can be shown in a canvas (a dimension) and how they can be moved within. Moreover the location of digital objects, this activity can be used to teach students about color composition, color experimentation, color proper use, etc. by complementing the basic aspects with some extra activities using color filling and composition. 3.Tool P5.js (Processing in Javascript). A web environment is available in http://p5ide.herokuapp.com/ The full reference for P5.js https://p5js.org/reference/ A tool to help students to choose colors is available in http://www.w3schools.com/colors/colors_picker.asp 4.Practical activity The practical activity is divided in several exercises, from most simple to most complicated. Following are presented the different exercises: 1. Create a canvas, colorize it First of all, and after explaining the two mandatory blocks/functions in Processing (setup() and draw()), the learner will create a canvas, like the following: Figure 1: Creation of an invisible canvas (canvas created, not filled in color) After that, teacher will explain the need of colorizing the canvas in order to see it. At this point, the teacher can explain the color RGB system (or another similar if its needed); as well, the teacher can explain the grey scale. Examples: Figure 2. Canvas created and filled in grey scale (light grey) Figure 3. Canvas created and filled in red color 2. Painting geometric figures in the canvas After that, teacher can explain some different basic geometric figures in processing, like point, line, ellipse or rectangle. This explanation should cover the different properties and features for each geometric figure (size, position, etc.). The learner will experiment the usage of each of them through painting them inside the canvas: Figure 4. Putting a sole point in the center of the created canvas Figure 5. Painting a line near to the right-bottom corner at the canvas Figure 6. Placing a blue square (rect) in the center of the canvas Figure 7. Painting a yellow circle (ellipse) in a corner of the canvas In the last part of the exercise using simple geometric figures, learners can use the function fill() to experiment the colorization (figures 6 and 7). Also they can put all the figures together in the canvas, so teacher can explain how those painted after other ones can cover the first drawn. In this case is recommended to explain this effect using the layers metaphor (the canvas has several layers, from deep to the nearest to the spectator that can be overlapped). Figure 8. Painting all figures together. Teacher should explain how/why yellow ellipse covers the blue square. 3. Using loops and decision points to make generative drawings Depending on the previous knowledge of the students, mainly if they know programming structures like for or if, teacher can explain how to replicate figures in the canvas by using loops, colorizing figures through using if decision points, etc. as can be observed in the following figures: Figure 9. 40 squares (rect) are painted in the X axis using only a minimal separator (i for counter, minimal value separator of 0 to maximal separator of 39) Figure 10. 40 squares (rect) are painted in the X axis using a variable as separator (i for counter multiplied by a constant -20-). This lead to paint squares separated among them by the same separation. Take note that several squares will be painted outside the canvas. Figure 11. 40 squares (rect) are painted using X and Y axis using variable positions. Due the canvas size, all squares (40) will not be drawn Figure 12. 40 squares (rect) are painted using X and Y axis using variable positions. In this case, the even figures are colorized in blue and odd figures in yellow color. This can help teachers to explain concepts like module, even and odd elements detection, if decision points, etc. Due the canvas size, all squares (40) will not be drawn 4. More advanced visual compositions using loops and decision points To finalize that, and depending the students’ skills and teacher ability to explain more complicated problems and visual compositions, using the previous foundations, they can experiment with some creative geometric shapes and placements like the presented in the figures 13 and 14 Figure 13. Generating to cones through using the counter variable inside a for Figure 14. Using the figure created in the figure 13, teacher/students can play with colors. In this case (overlapped figures) is recommended to use colors with an alpha mask in order to create different visual experiences and expanding color learning.]]>http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/08/10/drawing-digital-objects-in-a-virtual-canvas/feed/0Computational thinking, moral machines and programming decision makinghttp://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/08/03/computational-thinking-moral-machines-and-programming-decision-making/
http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/08/03/computational-thinking-moral-machines-and-programming-decision-making/#respondThu, 03 Aug 2017 16:18:38 +0000http://www.taccle3.eu/english/?p=1300This series of 5 lessons comes from our Taccle3 partners in Salamanca. Lessons in Spanish can be found here || Ideas y recursos en español. Overview: The aim of this activity is to train students of compulsory secondary school in computational thinking applied to Ethics. To do so, the lesson plan focuses on the ethical implications of programming self-driving vehicles to perform actions that will have moral consequences when a crash is unavoidable and damage and harm will be certainly provoked. Students should be able to analyse, represent, study possible outcomes and reflect on ethical behaviours of machines and “program” such behaviours as response to certain inputs, according to ethical moral principles. Age: 14-16 years. Level: medium – advanced. 21st century skills: computational thinking, decision making, logical reasoning, ethical discussion. Aim of the lesson This lesson is intended to develop skills in young people related to computational thinking, logical reasoning and algorithmic decision making. This will be done by the analysis and study of different ethical approaches and the formalisation of their main principles to theoretically program machines to perform ethical behaviours. In addition to these “computational” skills, students will become aware of the relevance of Ethics and ethical approaches not only as guiding principles for our daily life decisions, but also to discuss and try to achieve a consensus on some socially accepted moral principles to decide how intelligent agents should behave, both in their interactions with humans and other machines and the environment. Tools and resources MIT Media Lab: Moral Machine. http://moralmachine.mit.edu. ClaimMS: AccidentSketch.com. http://draw.accidentsketch.com. AV-DMEC Framework (see practical activity). Matthieu Cherubini: Ethical autonomous vehicles. https://vimeo.com/85939744. Kahoot: http://kahoot.it. Practical activity The current lesson plan will be structured in 5 sessions, as follows: Session 1. Introduction and Moral Machine platform. The first session will be devoted to introduce students to the challenges involved in programming self-driving vehicles, not only due to technical issues but also (or maybe mainly) to ethical difficulties. The first activity will consist on asking students to read a newspaper article and discussing in groups the differences between autonomous vehicles and present cars, as so as the ethical consequences of letting cars decide themselves: who is responsible for the damage caused by the car? How should you feel if you know that in certain circumstances the car will be willing to kill you instead of killing others? The second activity will let students decide how should a car behave under determinate conditions. To do so, they will be asked to visit the MIT Lab Portal Moral Machine, http://moralmachine.mit.edu (see Figure 1), where they can browse, design and judge different scenarios, and then compare their responses with those of other people Figure 1. Moral Machine portal. Judging function. Session 2. Analysis of pre-defined scenarios During the second session the instructor will split the classroom in groups and will provide students with some pre-designed scenarios (as shown in Figure 2, for example). Then, they will analyse, discuss and decide how the car should behave according to some of the ethical approaches studied in previous lessons, properly re-defined to fit into these particular actions. After that, each group will explain to the rest of the classmates the scenario received to study, as so as the possible outputs according to different ethical approaches. Finally, they will discuss each scenario in classroom, trying to reach an agreement regarding the output and ethical approach that offers the “better” solution, if possible. Figure 2. Pre-defined scenario to discuss in classroom (Iyad Rahwan. http://www.popularmechanics.com) Session 3. Student-designed scenarios (i) During the third session students will be asked to develop in groups their own scenarios for machine ethical decision making by retrieving data from the matrix in Table 1 and planning the ethical decision making process according to the Autonomous Vehicle – Decision Making in Ethics Classroom (AV-DMEC) framework shown in Figure 3. To do so, they will start selecting the number and nature of agents involved in the scenario. Then, they will provide the agents with some properties for completing and clarifying the actions to analyse. Later on, they will sketch the scene by using a free tool like AccidentSketch.com, http://draw.accidentsketch.com. They should also describe the scene with logical propositions using connectors and natural language (for example: Car A is cutting the road of AV; AV cannot stop in time to avoid collision AND will run over the motorcyclist OR crash into a barrier OR run over two pedestrians on the sidewalk). Table 1. Matrix with sample elements for developing car crash scenarios Agents AV-car, Bus, School bus, Motorcycle, Cyclist, Pedestrian, Obstacle, Traffic light, […] Properties Red/green light, Child, Baby, Pregnant woman, Old man/woman, Wrong way, Same way, Slower/Faster, with/without helmet, Correctly/incorrectly crossing, Crash, Stop, Run over, […] Connectors AND, OR, IF, THEN, ELSE Ethical approaches Utilitarianism, Egoism, Profit-based, Deontology, Nondeterministic Figure 3. AV-DMEC framework Session 4. Student-designed scenarios (ii) After verifying that the sketch and the logical propositions match and clearly describe the scenario, students will be asked to analyse the possible outputs taking into account different ethical approaches. After studying and discussing such approaches, they should select the better ethical approach according to the most desirable output and explain their reasons. Session 5. Discussion and feedback The last session will be devoted to discuss some issues implied within the results of sessions 3 and 4. For example: is there any ethical approach that is generally preferable? Are there scenarios where it should be impossible to determine a “better” output? Are there scenarios where none of the ethical approaches seem to provide with a reasonable solution? In order to introduce students to complex computational thinking and ethical decision making processes, they will be invited to watch the video Ethical autonomous vehicles, https://vimeo.com/85939744, where Matthieu Cherubini illustrates two case studies (scenarios) under three different ethical approaches. Students will be invited to analyse the ethical algorithms and the formal representation, as shown in http://research.mchrbn.net/eav. Finally, students will be asked to participate in a game-based learning competition...]]>http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/08/03/computational-thinking-moral-machines-and-programming-decision-making/feed/0An introduction to binaryhttp://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/08/03/an-introduction-to-binary/
http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/08/03/an-introduction-to-binary/#respondThu, 03 Aug 2017 15:55:45 +0000http://www.taccle3.eu/english/?p=1305This introduction to binary numbers was produced by our partner in Salamanca. You can find resources in Spanish here || Ideas y recursos en español This lesson introduces some basic concepts about binary numbers to give an understanding of the information codified in digital systems. Short description In this lesson you should learn what a binary number is and what the concept of bit means for storing information in digital systems. It will raise in a very basic way how to represent the firsts 16 numbers in the binary system. Recommended age Up to 10 years Level Beginner to Intermediate 21st century skills Mathematical thinking Computational thinking Aim of the lesson This lesson is designed to introduce children to the binary system. They should learn what the binary numbers are, how data is stored in a digital system and how they are used to represent information that humans are capable of understanding. Tools We will need 4 dominoes so that they have 1, 2, 4 and 8 points respectively, as shown in the figure. You will also need a grid which can be downloaded from the resources section at the end of this page. It is also possible to configure a card set so that starting with one that has a point, the following will always have twice as many points of the previous one. Each of the cards represent one bit, so that the number of binary numbers that can be represented is 2n, being n the number of cards made. Practical activity A binary digit or bit can only have one of two possible values: 0 or 1. In this activity we have the values 0, 1, 2, 4 and 8. To this the dominoes should be placed ordered from right to left as shown in the figure, each of the chips will represent a binary digit or bit: The first detail that should influence whether children are able to perceive how many dots in each tab. If they do not realize themselves, they should be asked how many dots are in each tab?, is there any relationship between the number of points of a tab and the number of points of the tabs on the right and on the left?, how many points should have the following tab located to the left? Below these tasks are presented: 1. Building numbers With the only rules that tabs must always be ordered fewer points higher from right to left and that a tab may be facing, showing their points, or back, so they do not show, they will be representing decimal numbers. For example, the number 3: The number 9: The number 14: Etc. Continue until the children have learned the concept. To end this first task, you can do them three questions: what is the smallest number that can be represented with these tabs?, what is the largest number that can be represented with these tabs?, how many numbers can be represented with those tabs? When you asked by the smaller number, most likely the answer is 1, which is very interesting to point out that it can also represent the number 0, with every all the dominoes backward. Regarding the question about the greatest number, if children are small the response should be the number resulting from turning all the dominoes face up, i.e. 15. If children know the concept of power you can argue them that the maximum number is resulting from 24-1 = 15, with 4 being the number of tabs, and therefore with n tabs can be represented to the number 2n-1. It will also be interesting the answer to how many numbers can be represented question, because a likely response after having answered the highest number is 15. Then if this happens, teacher must correct them and explain that the right solution is 16, reasoning it out and stressing again that may be represented 15 numbers plus 0, i.e. 16 values. If children know the concept of power it can be argued that with 4 tabs will be able to represent 24 values, that is 16 values, ranging from 0 to 24-1, or what is the same from 0 to 15. Generally, with n tabs may be represented 2n values. 2. Representing binary numbers With a template, similar to the presented in the Appendix 1, the representation of the binary numbers may be explained. The template will have many cells as binary digits you want working on, in this case we have four dominoes we will use four cells. Another cell is added to write the equivalent decimal number. We will locate the dominoes over the template. If the tab is face up we will write one 1-digit in the correspondent cell, if the tab is backward we will write one 0-digit in the correspondent cell. To know the equivalent decimal number to the binary number we have written the visible dots must be counted, as we did in the previous task, as we can show in the following examples. Once the students have dominated the concept, teacher may set up sheets with binary numbers, for calculating its equivalent decimal number, and conversely with decimal numbers, for calculating its equivalent binary number, as shown below as an example. A variant of the above, or complementary exercise, is to represent all numbers from 0 to 15 in binary. Acknowledgements This lesson is based on some of the proposed activities in Bell, T., Witten, I. H., & Fellows, M. (2016). CS Unplugged. An enrichment and extension programme for primary-aged students. Version 3.2.2. New Zealand: University of Canterbury. CS Education Research Group. http://csunplugged.org/books/ Resources Download a template grid as shown in the examples above]]>http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/08/03/an-introduction-to-binary/feed/0Robots – Discussion Questionshttp://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/06/27/robots-discussion-questions/
http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/06/27/robots-discussion-questions/#respondTue, 27 Jun 2017 13:40:33 +0000http://www.taccle3.eu/english/?p=1290http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/06/27/robots-discussion-questions/feed/0Flowchartshttp://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/05/27/flowcharts/
http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/05/27/flowcharts/#respondSat, 27 May 2017 15:40:02 +0000http://www.taccle3.eu/english/?p=1249A flowchart is one way of displaying an algorithm. One advantage of using a flow chart is that the way different operations are represented are standardised so that anyone who is familiar with the symbols can follow other people’s algorithms. Preparation Prepare a set of flow chart symbols (boxes and arrows) using the templates. Introduction Ask the class to research the meaning of the word ‘flowchart’ and then discuss their findings. The Wikipedia definition is: “A flowchart is a type of diagram that represents an algorithm, workflow or process, showing the steps as boxes of various kinds, and their order by connecting them with arrows.” Another way of explaining it is that a flowchart is a diagram that represents a solution to a problem. Discuss with the class why it is a good idea to use flowcharts to represent their algorithms. (e.g clarity, ease of communication between people, shows the decisions that have to be made and the options available etc) They are a useful way of planning how a computer program might work, and show others your thinking. A flow chart shows the key points in an algorithm: the start and end the order in which the sequences of instructions are performed the points where inputs and outputs occur the points where decisions are made about what to do next A sequence of many instructions that does not involve any of these key points may be represented as a single rectangular box. Flow charts use a variety of standard flow chart symbols to represent different elements, and arrows to show the flow or direction. These shapes are formally agreed standards (British Standard BS4058). The most commonly used symbols are: Activity 1: Identifying symbols and what they do Use a simple algorithm the learners have already constructed (e.g making toast) and print out the individual steps. Then, in groups, set out the rectangular ‘command’ flowchart blocks in a vertical column and lay the individual lines of instruction in the algorithm over each box. Then add the arrows. Introduce the ‘start’ / ‘stop’ blocks and add them to the algorithm. Talk to the class about what decisions they may have to make when running their algorithm. For example, supposing they burn the toast? Are they going to ignore the fact that it is burned and just carry on? Or are they going to scrape the burned bits off? Or are they going to throw the burned toast away? Maybe it depends on how burned the toast is! So after the command line ‘take the toast out of the toaster’, they may need a decision diamond asking ‘Is the toast burned?’ There could be two answers ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ or three answers ‘Yes’, ‘No’ and ‘A little bit’ (or ‘partially’ if they know the word). Start with two answers. Write the question (e.g is toast burned?) on a new card and lay it over the decision diamond. Add two arrows to the decision diamond (typically from the points on the left and right. Label one arrow ‘yes’ and the other ‘no’. Put another command rectangle and the end of each arrow. Let the children decide on the command they will put in each box. Finally, whether the answer is ‘no’ or ‘yes’ (with the command ‘ throw it away’) they will need to work out at what point they rejoin their original algorithm! Activity 2: Practising flow charts Divide the children into groups and give each group a set of cards with the following scenarios. Ask them to draw the flow chart that represents the algorithm. The bus you have to take for school goes at 8.00 am. It takes you half an hour to get ready. If you get up late and miss the bus, you can take a train that leaves at 8.15 but then you have a 20 minute walk when you get to the station nearest the school and you don’t get there until after the bell goes at 9.00 am and you miss registration and have to see the secretary. There are two possible destinations for the school trip. If it is raining that week then the minibus is taking you to the museum and you will need to wear your school uniform and take money to buy lunch in the cafe. If the weather looks good, then the plan is to go to a farm. You will need to wear wellingtons and old clothes. If the Welsh football team beats Serbia and the Republic of Ireland draw or lose to Austria, then Serbia would have 11 points and Wales and Austria would have 10 points, leaving Wales with a home game against Austria, then two away games against Moldova and Georgia, before a final game against Ireland. ]]>http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/05/27/flowcharts/feed/0Digital Competence Framework Waleshttp://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/05/25/digital-competence-framework-wales/
http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/05/25/digital-competence-framework-wales/#respondThu, 25 May 2017 15:07:11 +0000http://www.taccle3.eu/english/?p=1147The UK has devolved education systems and there are significant curriculum variations between Wales, England, Scotland and the six counties of Northern Ireland. England was first to introduce a new ‘Computing’ curriculum in September 2014, which made coding and programming compulsory for all ages from 5 through to 16. Wales introduced the Digital Competence Framework in September 2016, to be fully operational by 2018. http://learning.gov.wales/resources/browse-all/digital-competence-framework/framework?lang=en]]>http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/05/25/digital-competence-framework-wales/feed/0KS2 Finding out about codes (1)http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/05/25/ks2-finding-out-about-codes-1/
http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/05/25/ks2-finding-out-about-codes-1/#respondThu, 25 May 2017 13:38:02 +0000http://www.taccle3.eu/english/?p=1253An unplugged lesson for KS2 finding out what a code is, different sorts of codes, how they work and why we use them. The lesson can be integrated with the history, geography, technology or maths curriculum. Preparation. Collect some examples of different codes and print and laminate them. We used Egyptian hieroglyphics, a modern language that does not use the Roman alphabet, rune or ogam stones, semaphore and morse code. We also added cards showing a computer programme written in Scratch (or Tynker) and in a text based language such as Python. All these are downloadable by clicking on the links. Introduction Ask the class to use the web to find a definition of ‘a code’. This is what Wikipedia says. “In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form or representation, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a channel or storage in a medium.” Talk about why we have codes. An early example is the invention of language which enabled a person, through speech, to communicate what he or she saw, heard, felt, or thought to others. But speech limits the range of communication to the distance a voice can carry, and limits the audience to those present when the speech is uttered. The invention of writing, which converted spoken language into visual symbols, extended the range of communication across space and time. Activity 1: Pictograms Look at the cards showing Egyptian hieroglyphics and talk about written languages based on pictures (pictograms). An important point is that there is a direct relationship between the symbol and what it represents, even if the symbol has become stylised or simplified. Ask the children to write their name in hieroglyphics. If you have studied / are studying the Egyptians in history, so much the better. You can do the same activity with an Asian language such as Gujarati, Punjabi, Japanese, Chinese etc. This is especially interesting if you have children who are native speakers of those languages or you are studying those countries. Activity 2: Arbitrary codes Look at some early examples of codes, such as Ogam or Rune stones and find out when they were used, who used them and what they were used for. These are very different as there is no direct connection between the symbols and what they represent – like the Roman alphabet used in most Western countries, the symbol is totally arbitrary. Activity 3: Morse and Semaphore Show the class pictures of the semaphore alphabet and the morse code alphabet. There is a resource sheet you can download for more information. Both of these were used by the armed forces, among others. Ask the class why they needed both. When is semaphore more useful and when is morse more useful? How were they used during the war? (Clearly semaphore is useful when you can see the other person but they are too far away to hear you. Morse code is used to transmit messages using a series of buzzes but to transmit over any distance the signal relies on additional technology such as radio to carry the sound. Alternatively, Morse can be represented by flashes of light. When would that be useful?) The key learning point is that there is no ‘best’ code – particular codes are useful for some purposes. It is exactly the same with computer codes – there is no best one. It depends on the situation and what the programme is for. You could ask the class to make a list of programming languages (codes) and find out what they are used for. For example ‘Java’ is used to programme all Android apps, Python is simple and incredibly readable since it closely resembles the English language and is a great language for beginners etc. Another fun video to watch shows a competition between a team of two morse code operators and a team of teenagers texting to see which team is the faster when transmitting and receiving the same message. It’s always fun to take ‘bets’ on the outcome. Activity 4: The Enigma machine Watch a clip showing how the German Enigma machine worked and how it was cracked by Alan Turing and the scientists at Bletchley Park.A Activity 5: Making a coding machine Use the template to print each letter of the alphabet in a row of boxes. Then using the same size boxes, print off numbers 1-26 (or however many letters in your alphabet). Cut out the strips and laminate them. Put the number strips under the letter strips so that ‘1’ is under ‘A’, 2 under ‘B’ and so on. Send a short message substituting the corresponding number for each letter. Clearly, this is not a very secure code. How could it be improved? Let the children experiment by moving the numerical scale under the alphabetical scale so that ‘1’ no longer represents ‘A’. Supposing they have moved the scale along 6 places. How can they can communicate to the receiver how many squares they need to move the scale? Encourage them to think outside the box! Imagine they were spies or secret agents, how could they do it? Could they use a book? A newspaper? A piece of music? A poem? A visual cue? Follow up There is another lesson ‘Finding out about codes (2)’ which shows how you can make a morse code buzzer and transmit messages. This is a great way of integrating coding with design and technology and with history (think radio operators in WWII!) ]]>http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/05/25/ks2-finding-out-about-codes-1/feed/0Quick resources – Logic Puzzleshttp://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/04/04/quick-resources-logic-puzzles/
http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/04/04/quick-resources-logic-puzzles/#respondTue, 04 Apr 2017 09:53:20 +0000http://www.taccle3.eu/english/?p=1246Here are some ready made resources collected from around the web. You could use them as a starter or a plenary or even as a homework activity. You’re on an island with a lettuce, a rabbit and a fox… try these logic puzzles from mathsisfun.com Brain teasers are a great way to get kids (and adults) talking about problem solving. This ready to print decoding activity involves deciphering a code made up of dots. These printable puzzles are the type you might find in a puzzle magazine, cross out the boxes in the grid to work out the answers to the clues. If you need any more there are lots of ideas on pinterest.]]>http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/04/04/quick-resources-logic-puzzles/feed/0Secret Codes: Morse Codehttp://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/01/03/secret-codes-morse-code/
http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/01/03/secret-codes-morse-code/#respondTue, 03 Jan 2017 03:56:00 +0000http://www.taccle3.eu/english/?p=1228History of Morse Code Article by NRICH team Background Morse code was invented by an American called Samuel Finley Breese Morse, (1791-1872). He was not only an inventor but also a famous painter. Before the invention of the telegraph, most messages that had to be sent over long distances were carried by messengers who memorized them or carried them in writing. These messages could be delivered no faster than the fastest horse. Messages could also be sent visually, using flags and later, mechanical systems called semaphore telegraphs, but these systems required the receiver to be close enough to see the sender, and could not be used at night. The telegraph allowed messages to be sent very fast over long distances using electricity. The first commercial telegraph was developed by William Forthergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone in 1837. They developed a device which could send messages using electrical signals to line up compass needles on a grid containing letters of the alphabet. Then, in 1838, Samuel Morse and his assistant, Alfred Vail, demonstrated an even more successful telegraph device which sent messages using a special code – Morse code. Telegraph messages were sent by tapping out the code for each letter in the form of long and short signals. Short signals are referred to as dits (represented as dots). Long signals are referred to as dahs (represented as dashes). The code was converted into electrical impulses and sent over telegraph wires. A telegraph receiver on the other end of the wire converted the impulses back into to dots and dashes, and decoded the message. In 1844, Morse demonstrated the telegraph to the United States Congress using a now famous message “What hath God wrought”.. Samuel Morse Telegraph Receiver Smithsonian National Museum of American History One of Morse’s aims was to keep the code as short as possible, which meant the commonest letters should have the shortest codes. Morse came up with a marvellous idea. He went to his local newspaper. In those days printers made their papers by putting together individual letters (type) into a block, then covering the block with ink and pressing paper on the top. The printers kept the letters (type) in cases with each letter kept in a separate compartment. Of course, they had many more of some letters than others because they knew they needed more when they created a page of print. Morse simply counted the number of pieces of type for each letter. He found that there were more e’s than any other letter and so he gave ‘e’ the shortest code, ‘dit’. This explains why there appears to be no obvious relationship between alphabetical order and the symbols used. Morse’s original code was not quite the same as the one in use today as it included pauses as well as dahs and dits. However, a conference in Berlin in 1851 established an international version, which is shown below: A . – N – . B – . . . O – – – C – . – . P . – – . D – . . Q – – . – E . R . – . F . . – . S . . . G – – . T – H . . . . U . . – I . . V . . . – J . – – – W . – – K – . – X – . . – L . – . . Y – . – – M – – Z – – . . The most well-known signal sent using Morse Code is: . . . – – – . . . and is the distress signal SOS. Morse code requires the time between dits and dahs, between letters, and between words to be as accurate as possible. A Dit takes – 1 unit of time A Dah takes – 3 units of time The pause between letters – 3 units of time The pause between words – 7 units of time Tasks The speed at which a message is sent in Morse code is normally given in words per minute (WPM). The word “Paris” is used as the length of a standard word. Ask learners how long does this take? (Answer is given at the end of the article). An experienced Morse code operator can send and receive messages at a rate of 20-30 WPM. What do you think are the main problems with using morse code? Think of 2 situations where it would be useful and two where it would not be . Answer: Paris = 34 time units. You can download a morse code font for windows here.]]>http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/01/03/secret-codes-morse-code/feed/0Introduction to Scratch: Video tutorialhttp://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/01/03/introduction-to-scratch-video-tutorial/
http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/01/03/introduction-to-scratch-video-tutorial/#respondTue, 03 Jan 2017 01:55:25 +0000http://www.taccle3.eu/english/?p=1145]]>http://www.taccle3.eu/english/2017/01/03/introduction-to-scratch-video-tutorial/feed/0